Belt-tightener for planing-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet E. F. AUTENRIETH. BELT TIGHTENER FOR PLANING MACHINES.

a .(No Model.)

No. 401,677. Patented'Apr. 16, 1889.,

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

E. P. AUTENRIETH BELT TIGHTBNER FOR PLANING MACHINES.

N0. 401,677. Patented Apr. 16, 1889'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST F. AUTENRIETH, OF NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLEN COVE MACHINECOMPANY, (LIMITED) OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BELT-TIGHTENER FOR PLANlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 4=Ol,677, dated April16, 1889.

Application filed January 28, 1889, Serial No. 297,749. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ERNST F. AUTENRIETH, of New York, in the county andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inBelt-Tighteners for Planing- Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My improvement relates to planing-1n achines, and particularly to thatpart thereof embracing the driving mechanism.

I will describe in detail a planing-machine embodying my improvement,and then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of such partsof a planingmachine as are essential to an understanding of myimprovement. Fig. 2 is a plan or top View of the same. Fig. 3 is asectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, looking in the direction ofthe arrow, Fig. 1, and taken on the line 00 x of said figure. Fig. a isa detail, on an enlarged scale and partly in section, of certain parts,Fig. 5 is a View illustrating a modification.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A designates a portion of the frame of the machine.

B designates a main or driving shaft, and B a main or driving pulleymounted thereon.

In Fig. 1 I have shown in dotted outline a belt, a, passing over thedriving-pulley B and an idler-pulley, B and from thence to a pulley, Bon a cutter-head shaft, 1), upon which is mounted a cutter-head B.

B I? represent presser-rolls driven bygearing or in any other suitablemanner, but which, as they do not form part of my invention, I will notfurther describe.

Upon the driving-shaft B, outside the pulley B, is mounted a pulley, O.

O designates an expansion-pulley. The expansion-pulley 0 comprises aframe, 0 of circular form. The frame C is provided withtangentially-extending slots 0 of which I have shown four. These slotsform guideways for segments 0 of the expansion-pulley proper. Thesegments 0 are adapted to be moved nearer to or farther from the axis ofthe pulley along said guideways. The outer edges of the segments C arearc-shaped, and

are grooved to receive a belt, G, passing through said grooves and aboutthe pulley Q. The inner ends of the segments 0 have pivotally connectedto them links or rods d. These links or rods extend rearwardly from theexpansion-pulley approximately in line with the direction of movement ofthe seg ments 0', or, in other words, tangential to the axis of rotationof the pulley; At their outer ends the links or rods are pivotallyconnected to a collar, E, which collar rotates with the shaft H, uponwhich the pulley is mounted,

its rotation being due to a feather, d, on the shaft, which enters asuitable groove in the collar. The said collar has a circumferentialgroove, E, and a yoke, F, is received within said groove. This yokeforms one arm of a" bell-crank lever, F, fulcrumed upon a suitablesupport extending from the frame of the machine. Pivotally connected tothe other arm of the bell-crank lever is a rod, H. The rod H, near itsother end, is pivotally connected to a lever, H constituting a shiftingdevice, fulcrumed upon the frame A. The 7 5 upper portion of the lever His provided with an arc-shaped slot, e, through which extends ascrew-threaded pin or stud, e. A nut, 6 engaging said pin or stud, maybe employed to lock the lever H in any position into which it may berocked. By swinging the lever H in one direction or the other thesegments of the expansion-pulley may be moved nearer to or farther fromeach other, thus increasing or decreasing the diameter of the pulley.hen 8 5 it is desired to slow down, the diameter of the pulley will beincreased. When it is desired to speed up, the diameter of the pulleywill be decreased.

Of course varying the diameter of the pulo ley will cause variations inthe tension of the belt G. In order to compensate for these variations,I employ a belt-tightener. This belttightener comprises pulleys g g,mounted upon arms g g, which arms extend from a hub, 9 secured upon arock-shaft, 9 which latter is journaled in the frame of the ma chine.Mounted upon said rock-shaft, and extending upwardly therefrom, is alever, I. The upper portion of this lever terminates in I00 a handle.The lower portion is bifurcated, and the shaft 9 passes loosely throughapertures in said bifurcations. Between the bifurcations, and rigidlysecured to the shaft g is a worm-wheel, I. WVith this wor1n-wheelengages a worm, I journaled in portions f of the lever I, between thebifurcations thereof. Upon the shaft of the worm I outside the portionsf of the lever, is a hand-wheel, I The belt G in this example passesunder the pulley g and over the pulley When it is desired to slacken ortighten the belt, the lever I is rocked in the proper direction for thatpurpose. If considerable slack is to be taken up, more, in fact, thancould be taken up by the rocking of the lever I, (which might occur whenthe diameter of the expansion-pulley had been very much reduced,) thehand-wheel I may first be manipulated to occasion the rocking of therock-shaft g and consequently the shifting of the pulleys g g to adesired extent, and then the lever I may be manipulated to tighten thebelt to as great a degree as may be desired. Of course a similaroperation may be performed where it is desired to occasion more slack inthe belt than could be given through the movement of the lever I.

I employ astop for automatically retaining the lever in a position intowhich it has once been adjusted. This stop con sists'of a cam, J,mounted upon a pin or stud extending from the lever I and provided witha handle, J. The handle J operates as a weight to maintain the cam inoperative position.

J designates an arc-shaped piece secured near its ends upon the upperside of the frame A, and passing about and in close proximity to the camJ. If said locking-piece occupies a position shown in Fig. 1, the leverI may be then moved freely toward the right of Fig. 1, and its returnmovement will be effectively prevented by the action of the cam J uponthe arc-shaped piece J and it will not be necessary to use the hand foroccasioning this locking, as it will occur automatically. When it isdesired to move the lever in the other direction, however, the handle Jmust be operated by hand to release the cam. If the handle be swung overon the other side, and the lever I be passed by the center or past theposition shown in Fig. 1 and'toward the left thereof, the cam will thenoperate automatically to prevent the movement of the lever in the otherdirection.

In Fig. 5 I have shown that a sliding bar, L, may be pivotally connectedto the upper end of the lever I and slid through a guidepulley by handto a desired extent, and

means for locking the same in such position I after it has been soadjusted. At the same time I provide means for accurately tightening thebelt, combining two movements operating through one mechanism, wherebyavery accurate and perfect tightening of the belt is accomplished. Atthe same time I provide means for automatically locking thebelttightener when it has been adjusted.

Although I have shown the cam J as mounted upon the lever and the piecesJ 2 mounted upon the frame, it is obvious that these positions might bereversed.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The combination, with pulleys, of a belt passing about said pulleys,a belt-tightener, a rock-shaft upon which said belt-tightener ismounted, a worm-wheel on said rock-shaft, a worm engaging saidworm-wheel, and a lever mounted upon the rock-shaft in which said wormis journaled, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with pulleys, of a belt passing about said pulleys,a belt-tightener, a rock-shaft upon which said belt-tightener ismounted, a lever for operating said rock-shaft, and a main frame, saidmain frame and lever, the one being provided with a binding-surface andthe other with a cam, constituting a lock adapted to bear upon saidbinding-surface to lock the lever in a position into which it has beenadjusted, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with pulleys, of a belt passed about said pulleys, abelt-tightener, a rock-shaft upon which said belt-tightener is mounted,alever for operating said rock-shaft, and a main frame, said main frameand lever, the one being provided with a binding-surface and the otherwith a weighted cam adapted to bear upon said binding-surface toautomatically lock the lever in a position into which it has beenadjusted, substantially as specified.

ERNST F. AUTENRIETH. Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, ARTHUR H. GAMBLIN.

